So, How's That Constitution Thing Working Out for You?

I wrote the original version of this post almost three years ago (June 27, 2022), and today seems like an appropriate time for a revisit and update ... 

The 55 representatives - all of them male, all white and all privileged members of their society - who attended  the Constitutional Convention of 1789 drafted the United States Constitution to define the parameters of a new form of government for a new form of nation. 

The preamble to the Constitution reads:

"We the People of the United States, in Order to form a more perfect Union, establish Justice, insure domestic Tranquility, provide for the common defence, promote the general Welfare, and secure the Blessings of Liberty to ourselves and our Posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America."

So, how’s that working out now, 236 years after the representatives to the Constitutional Convention slapped each other on the back and went home? Let's see ...

“Form a More Perfect Union.” We survived the Civil War more or less intact, but the union today is being torn apart by political passions inflamed by the power-mad, the ultra-wealthy, and the religion-blinded. At a time when the nation faces huge problems and perils at home and abroad, Congress is driven by an angry and vengeful president to force an agenda that most of his supporters don't fully understand and probably wouldn't support if they did. The Blue and Gray states of antebellum America have given way to the Blue and Red states of modern America, aided by relentless gerrymandering of Congressional districts to ensure control by a particular party, rather than by the people to be represented. 

“Establish Justice.” We have a larger proportion of our population in prison than any other nation. The degree and quality of justice one can expect is directly proportional to one’s ability to hire the largest number of the most expensive, most aggressive, most experienced, and least principled attorneys. If you are black, brown, or poor, good luck. And whether or not you agree with the freedoms once granted by the Roe v. Wade and Planned Parenthood v. Casey decisions, consider that a strongly conservative Supreme Court ignored 50 years of precedent and - for the first time - used the Dobbs decision to remove a freedom we thought was guaranteed under the Constitution. And as if that weren't enough, consider that Justice Clarence Thomas went out of his way to write that the Supreme Court “should reconsider all of this Court’s substantive due process precedents, including Griswold [which removed legal barriers to contraception], Lawrence [which guaranteed the right of privacy in sexual intimacy between consenting adults], and Obergefell [which required states to allow same-sex marriages and recognize those from other states]” - three cases dealing with Americans’ fundamental rights to privacy, due process and equal protection under the law. And we haven't even talked about Der Furor's open defiance of the law. If you don't think justice is going backward, you're not paying attention.

“Insure Domestic Tranquility.” You might believe that the storming of the US Capitol by a howling mob of Der Furor's supporters on January 6th, 2021, was a one-time thing, but I wouldn’t bet on it. When a large portion of the population is fired up by a relentlessly authoritarian president and his cowed Congressional supporters, Fox News, OAN, and Newsmax, and believes its political opposition is nothing more than Satan-worshiping radical left libtards and pedophiles hell-bent on destroying the nation, domestic tranquility is most assuredly not insured.

“Provide for the Common Defence.” We have the most powerful military on Earth to protect us from external threats. Within our borders, however, we remain under threat from each other, exacerbated by a constitutional amendment that has made us the most heavily-armed citizens in the world, and animated by a belief that personal defense and individual rights trump all other rights and responsibilities. When angry militias are training in the wilderness, storming the Capitol, openly advocating violence against the government and their political opponents, and openly threatening elected officials and other public servants, providing for the common defense takes on a different meaning.

“Promote the General Welfare.” Unless the general welfare runs contrary to the interests of big business and the wealthy, that is. Der Furor's GOP is working hard to do away with what it disparagingly call the “deep state” that ensures your welfare ... that you have safe drugs, wholesome food, reliable products, a stable (more or less) economy, safe working spaces, drinkable water, and breathable air. Good luck with all those as federal agencies are stripped of the regulatory powers that have kept you safe and healthy in the fever dream of Republican fury at the "nanny state" and its "job-killing regulations."

“Secure the Blessings of Liberty.” Many people nowadays interpret “liberty” as meaning “my personal liberty," rather than "our shared liberty.” The Declaration of Independence speaks of “life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness” as "unalienable rights," but your right to those things has become secondary to the perceived rights of those who want to do whatever they want, wherever they want, whenever they want, to anyone they choose. Our rights aren't unalienable after all ... just ask Clarence Thomas or Samuel Alito.

As a brand new Air Force Second Lieutenant in June of 1973, I swore this oath:

“I, Bilbo, do solemnly swear that I will support and defend the Constitution of the United States against all enemies, foreign and domestic; that I will bear true faith and allegiance to the same; that I take this obligation freely, without any mental reservation or purpose of evasion; and that I will well and faithfully discharge the duties of the office on which I am about to enter. So help me God.”

I swore my oath to the Constitution ... not to any individual. I swore my oath to an idea and a set of fundamental principles, not to a president, king, or dictator, and not to a pope, imam, rabbi, or patriarch.

Our poor, battered Constitution has served us pretty well for the last 236 years, but it's showing its weaknesses - not the least of which is how easily it can be subverted by those bold and wicked enough to openly ignore it or interpret its meaning in new and unsettling - when not blatantly illegal - ways. The weaknesses of the Constitution are, I believe, caused by the fact that its framers were honorable men who did not foresee the willingness of other evil and unscrupulous actors to undermine the government for which the founding generation had fought and died.  

So, how's the Constitution working out for you? If you're smart, you won't take its words of freedom and justice for granted. You'll support political leaders who uphold the grand words of the Preamble to the Constitution, who will work for all Americans, not just those of the preferred color (white), sex (male), or religion ("Christian"*). 

In the (paraphrased) words of former CNN anchor Jim Acosta, do not give in to the lies, and do not give in to the fear. Your country's future depends on it.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* It should be noted that most present-day "Christians" have only the most nodding of relationships with the actual teachings of Christ.

Poetry Sunday

I remember when I used to be able to walk safely at night. But then, it was a safer and happier time. It would be nice to be able to walk at night like the lady in today's poem, and to think of times when we were all younger, thinner, and less jaded by life ...

Walking at Night

by Louise Gluck

Now that she is old,

the young men don't approach her

so the nights are free,

the streets at dusk that were so dangerous

have become as safe as the meadow.

By midnight, the town's quiet.

Moonlight reflects off the stone walls;

on the pavement, you can hear the nervous sounds

of the men rushing home to their wives and mothers; this late,

the doors are locked, the windows darkened.

When they pass, they don't notice her.

She's like a dry blade of grass in a field of grasses.

So her eyes that used never to leave the ground

are free now to go where they like.

When she's tired of the streets, in good weather she walks

in the fields where the town ends.

Sometimes, in summer, she goes as far as the river.

The young people used to gather not far from here

but now the river's grown shallow from lack of rain, so

the bank's deserted—

There were picnics then.

The boys and girls eventually paired off;

after a while, they made their way into the woods

where it's always twilight—

The woods would be empty now—

the naked bodies have found other places to hide.

In the river, there's just enough water for the night sky

to make patterns against the gray stones. The moon's bright,

one stone among many others. And the wind rises;

it blows the small trees that grow at the river's edge.

When you look at a body you see a history.

Once that body isn't seen anymore,

the story it tried to tell gets lost—

On nights like this, she'll walk as far as the bridge

before she turns back.

Everything still smells of summer.

And her body begins to seem again the body she had as a young woman,

glistening under the light summer clothing.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. Enjoy walking at night, but don't forget your mace and your taser.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

It's been quite a week here in the Twilight Zone, formerly known as the United States.

Der Furor announced this week that he intends to repurpose the Guantanamo Bay Naval facility to hold as many as 30,000 detained migrants; 67 people were killed when an Army helicopter and a commercial jet collided near Washington, DC and Der Furor blamed - wait for it - DEI for the disaster; in the ongoing crusade to eliminate potential checks on his power and agenda, Der Furor has demanded the resignation (in lieu of being fired) of a number of senior FBI officials, has fired prosecutors involved in January 6th cases, and demanded the names of FBI agents involved in those investigations - likely so they can be fired; and in Detroit, a priest who also bills himself as an exorcist was charged with misdemeanor battery for a November incident in which he allegedly flossed his teeth with the hair of a teenage girl. 

Yes ... once again this week, more random cartoons. We'll get back to the curated sets next week, I promise.

It worries me ...

I'll pass, thanks ...

There's bound to be a way to monetize this ...

I can sympathize with this ...

It's an increasingly common phenomenon ...

I didn't know this was a thing ...

I can relate ...

Taking pride in one's work is a good thing ...

I just don't understand a lot of fashion concepts ...

Sauce for the gander ...

And that's it for the first Cartoon Saturday of February - I hope you enjoyed it. Be sure to come back tomorrow for the month's first Poetry Sunday ... more thoughts then.

Bilbo

Great Moments in Editing and Signage

The last collection for January ... get 'em while they're hot!

I never got to work in an office like that ...

I like to be a bit more selective about who I bare with ...

I doubt it'll stand up in court ...

Oops ...

I thought that ... oh, never mind ...

Such a deal! 

I think this is awful ... I actually had to study!

Hmmm ...

I think this sounds fishy ...

I imagine it needs to be a clear broth, but clarification is needed ...

That's it for this week, and for this month - I hope you got a chuckle out of this collection. Have a good day and come back tomorrow when we greet February with a new Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

Will American Soldiers Follow Illegal Orders?

In the era of Der Furor, we find ourselves asking a lot of uncomfortable questions nobody ever thought would need to be asked, and the answers aren't very comforting.

We know now, courtesy of a severely compromised Supreme Court, that it is all but impossible for a President to be held legally liable for anything that might be construed to be within his Constitutionally-granted authority: 

" Under our constitutional structure of separated powers, the nature of Presidential power entitles a former President to absolute immunity from criminal prosecution for actions within his conclusive and preclusive constitutional authority. And he is entitled to at least presumptive immunity from prosecution for all his official acts."*

In earlier times, when our presidents were generally judicious and more or less morally upright, we seldom worried about what they might do with the awesome powers they held. Today, not so much.

The same holds true for their appointees and Congressional supporters. 

During the confirmation hearings for the execrable Pete Hegseth to be Secretary of Defense, Mr Hegseth was reminded that in June of 2020, Der Furor had directed former Secretary of Defense Mark Esper to shoot protesters in the legs during demonstrations in Washington, and that Mr Esper had refused to comply with the order. Hawaii Senator Mazie Hirono asked Hegseth directly: “Would you carry out such an order from President Trump?”

Hegseth dodged and weaved and, in the end, would not say "no."

So, would American soldiers serving under such a Defense Secretary follow orders to shoot fellow Americans in the legs?

I have no doubt that, in today's fractured and morally ambiguous political climate, serving under a proudly authoritarian president and a compliant Secretary of Defense, some would. It's well known that the US Armed Forces have a significant number of members espousing extreme far-right ideologies, and it doesn't take much to imagine their reaction if ordered to shoot "radical leftists who hate America" and "libtards" by a President who has already wanted to do it and a Secretary of Defense willing to pass on the order without question.

In the war crimes trials that followed World War II, many Nazi soldiers and government functionaries tried to excuse their barbaric behavior by maintaining that they were simply doing their duty, following the orders of their military or political superiors. "I was only following orders" is the stereotyped plea of those seeking to avoid personal responsibility by blaming their superiors**, and it doesn't usually work, although it can sometimes argue for a lesser punishment for people further down the totem pole.

I don't know about you, but I would hesitate to trust that many soldiers in today's Army wouldn't shoot me if ordered to do so, and that has to be one of the most terrible legacies of Der Furor and his sadistic and twisted MAGA ideology.

Have a good day, and be careful when you exercise your First Amendment right "peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances." Nowadays, the only grievances that matter are those of Der Furor and his besotted followers.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo 

* Trump v United States, 23-939, July 1, 2024

** The "Superior Orders" defense argues that a person, whether civilian, military or police, should not be considered guilty of committing crimes if ordered to do so by a superior officer or official. It's also known as the "Nuremberg Defense."

The High Cost of Staying Informed

A few weeks ago my daughter and I were discussing the latest news and, as usual when we have these discussions, we lamented the fact that there are so many ill-informed, mal-informed, or uninformed people out there who fail to see the reality of what's going on around them. This observation leads to the obvious question: if we have so many sources of information available, why are so many people so ignorant of the news that affects their lives?

There are, of course, many reasons. The decline of local newspapers, accompanied by the proliferation of social media and the stovepiping of broadcast media that allows people to listen only to what they want to hear, are all guilty. So is the desire of much of the mainstream media to avoid antagonizing a blatantly authoritarian (dare I say, fascist) government. But in my mind, a contributing factor is the high cost of staying informed.

I used to subscribe to two daily newspapers: the Washington Post and the New York Times. Until I quit my Post subscription in disgust over its editorial policies and the shameless meddling of owner Jeff Bezos, I was paying a total of $37 per month for both; now, it's down to just $25 for the Times alone. 

But in order to read a digital newspaper, I need an internet connection, which costs $112 per month (which also includes cable TV and landline phone). The internet connection gives me access to a wide range of national and international news sources, most of which require their own subscriptions. CNN, for example, now wants $3.99/month to read most of its streaming content ... although I pay for the CNN broadcast as part of my cable TV bill, access to streaming content is, according to the CNN website, considered a "separate feature" that must be separately paid for. Many digital newspapers and magazines allow you to read one or two free articles per month, but then require you to subscribe to read more ... so if you used those free articles in the first days of the month, you're pretty well informationally screwed for the next few weeks.

I subscribe to two Substack sites: historian Heather Cox Richardson's superb daily "Letters from an American" (which provides excellent historical context for current events) at a cost of $5.00 per month, and "Civil Discourse with Joyce Vance" (which provides detailed legal analysis of current events) at $6.00/month. There are numerous others I would like to subscribe to for a variety of viewpoints, and the number is rising quickly as more and more respected journalists flee the newspapers and the broadcast networks and start their own (subscription) online sites. Those subscription fees add up quickly. 

I have, in the past, subscribed to periodicals like Newsweek, The Atlantic, Mother Jones, and Rolling Stone, but have dropped them all because of the expense.

Can you get free information? Yes and no. Most public libraries subscribe to local and national newspapers and other periodicals that you can read free of charge, thanks to the local taxes you pay. The downside is, of course, that you have to physically go there (which requires transportation and takes time) unless the library offers digital copies online ... in which case you need to pay for that home internet connection. You can also listen to free news broadcasts on AM and FM radio, for which you need only a (relatively inexpensive) radio. The downside of this, though, is that radio air time is limited and expensive, and doesn't allow enough time to address issues in depth (with the exception of National Public Radio, which doesn't charge for its service, but constantly begs you to donate).

My point in all this rambling is that in today's America, it costs money to stay informed ... money that a lot of people may not be able to spend. If you want to deep-dive into important issues, access to the information you need may well be too expensive or too difficult for you to access. And I believe this is one major reason why many people loudly and passionately support Der Furor - they can't afford to pay for access to the variety of information that would help them make informed choices. People who are fortunate enough to afford access to information are better able to cut through the hogwash and see the world as it is ... not like they're told it is.

And that's sad.

Have a good day, and stay as informed as you can afford. It's for your own good, and ours, too.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Lovemaking Tips for Senior Citizens

With all the terrible news and gut-wrenching changes in the country, it's easy - especially for us senior citizens who remember more civil and honest times - to despair over the state of the union. But it's also important to think, at least occasionally, about nicer things. Like, well, dancing the horizontal tango.

Of course, when one reaches a certain age, a certain amount of planning is needed in order fully to enjoy the delights of sexual union ...

1. Wear your glasses to be sure your partner is actually in the bed.

2. Set a timer in case you doze off.

3. Set the mood with lighting: turn all the lights off.

4. Before you begin, put 911 on your speed dial.

5. Write your partner's name on your hand in case you forget.

6. Keep the Polygrip close by so your teeth don't end up under the bed.

7. Have Tylenol ready in case you actually complete the act.

8. Make all the noise you want ... the neighbors are probably deaf, too.

9. Don't even think about trying it twice.

10. If it works, call everyone you know with the good news.

I have these hints on a handy, laminated card that I keep on the nightstand for reference as needed. You never know when they might come in handy ...

Have a good day, and enjoy the nookie while you can. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Executive Orders and The Outrage Economy

Der Furor made a lot of promises to a lot of different constituencies while clawing his way back to the presidency. If history is any judge, he'll pay lip service to some, slow-roll or ignore others, and go balls-to-the-wall with those that personally enrich him or appeal to his baser instincts.

On his first day in office, Der Furor issued dozens of holy commandments Executive Orders on a wide range of topics. They fall into several categories:

The Silly, such as changing the name of Denali back to Mount McKinley and renaming the Gulf of Mexico as the Gulf of America and "promoting beautiful federal civic architecture;"

The Petty Score-Settling, such as withdrawing security clearances from various retired military and intelligence professionals he thinks have wronged him; 

The Sadistic, such as a crackdown on immigration and asylum seekers, whether legal or illegal, complete elimination of all DEI programs*, and the frivolous and unscientific designation of two sexes**; 

The Dangerous, such as the blanket pardon for violent rioters from the January 6th, 2021 insurrection and the pardon for the founder of the underground Silk Road drug-dealing website, and granting immediate interim (six months) Top Secret/Sensitive Compartmented Information (TS/SCI) security clearances to White House staff members***; and, 

The Blatantly Unconstitutional, such as the unilateral ending of the birthright citizenship guaranteed by the Constitution^†. 

The imperial presidency Republicans wanted is in full swing.

And if one of his goals is to "rescue" an economy he seems to think (in spite of all evidence) is in free fall, Der Furor appears to be doing it by distraction, sleight-of-hand and providing full employment for those in the new Outrage Economy ...

A blizzard of lawsuits has already been filed by states and organizations, pushing back against Der Furor's mean-spirited blitz of useless, frivolous, unconstitutional, petty, dangerous, and sadistic actions. How much time and money will be spent on legal fees and hearings by individuals, organizations, states, and the federal government to litigate them all? How long will the courts will be tied up with lawsuits, appeals, appeals of the appeals, appeals of the appealed appeals, ad nauseam, to the detriment of other important, but routine legal issues? We're already one of the most litigious countries in the world ... we're cementing our place as #1.

How much good could have been done with all that money if it were spent on education, health care, infrastructure, and housing? Instead, we're spending it on Der Furor's Outrage Economy.

Want to profit from the new Outrage Economy? Invest in one or more of the following:

Immigration Law Firms; 

Court Reporting Services; 

For-Profit Prisons; 

Migrant Transportation; 

Construction Companies (specializing in giant fences, prisons, and courthouses);

Companies Manufacturing Advanced Surveillance and Security Technologies; and, 

Cybercurrencies Marketed by Der Furor, His Family and Business Associates (carries no guarantee of return, of course).  

And hurry to get one of those high-paying jobs with great benefits that will soon be available in agriculture, service work, and elder care once the people doing them have been rounded up and deported.

Have a good day. Hope for the best, plan for the worst. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo 

* The basic idea of DEI is laudable, although a case can be made that many DEI training requirements (for example) were ludicrously overdone.

** I recognize that the issue of sexual identity is a complicated one, but waving a doctrinal wand is not the right way to address it. Besides, according the politically satisfying (to the right) but scientifically ludicrous text of Der Furor's Executive Proclamation, every American is actually female.

*** One should note that Der Furor himself, not to mention a number of his nominees for high-level positions, couldn't qualify for those clearances if they had to conform to the same standards I did.

† "All persons born or naturalized in the United States, and subject to the jurisdiction thereof, are citizens of the United States and of the State wherein they reside. No State shall make or enforce any law which shall abridge the privileges or immunities of citizens of the United States..." (14th Amendment, Section 1)

 

Musical Sunday

As we move into the oligarchy that has pushed democracy in America aside and elevated the interests of the billionaire class over those of average Americans, this song from Martin Kerr seems sadly appropriate to the hour ... 

Thanks to Mike for alerting me to this sad gem. Here are the lyrics so you can follow along:

God rest ye merry billionaires, let nothing you dismay

Forget your workers families going hungry on this day

And save yourselves from income tax - you'll never need to pay

O tidings of corruption and greed, corruption and greed

O tidings of corruption and greed

In Washington and London-town you pay the lobby fees

To hold the reins both left and right of sham democracies

And keep us entertained so we don’t know we’re on our knees

O tidings of corruption and greed, corruption and greed

O tidings of corruption and greed

Fear not ye say the media, they only sing your praise

The job-creator gave us all that's good and all that pays

Be thankful for your stable-beds and don’t ask for a raise

O tidings of corruption and greed, corruption and greed

O tidings of corruption and greed

The Prince of Peace you call Him while you make war in His name

A man with no possessions made a shill for earthly gain

Imagine all the people led by men who have no shame

O tidings of corruption and greed, corruption and greed

O tidings of corruption and greed

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. The billionaires will enjoy theirs.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

Cartoon Saturday

Der Furor II has been on stage for a bit less than a week ... how's that workin' out for you? 

As part of its ongoing effort to whitewash the deadly Capitol Riots of January 6th, 2021, House Republicans announced that they will charter a new select committee to “expos[e] the false narratives peddled by” the previous select committee ... however, the chair of that committee has been advised not to subpoena former White House aide Cassidy Hutchinson, for fear that she might expose sexually suggestive messages sent to her by members of Congress; Der Furor has commanded Russian president Vladimir Putin to end the "ridiculous war" in Ukraine or else - wait for it - face tariffs on Russian imports to the US (which are all but negligible, anyway); a federal judge has temporarily blocked implementation of Der Furor's royal decree Executive Order terminating birthright citizenship, describing it as “blatantly unconstitutional” and that it “boggled” his mind that a member of the bar would claim such an order was constitutional; Tennessee GOP Representative Andy Ogles has introduced a proposed change to the Constitution that would allow Der Furor a third term as president; and in Wake Forest, NC, a 38-year-old woman was charged with DWI, misdemeanor child abuse, failure to register a vehicle, and careless and reckless driving after she rolled an unregistered golf cart in a roundabout, injuring herself and five children riding in the cart with her, one of them in her lap. She is probably expecting Der Furor to pardon her.

This week, more random cartoons, because why not ... 

I feel the same way ...

I feel this way, too ..

It's an easy diagnosis ...

A good approach to calendar management ...

The Young Lady from Norway couldn't make it ...

I've seen his work all over ... 

How we came by the expression ...

When snakes have bachelor parties ...

Uh, oh ...

When everyone thinks god is on their side ...

And that's it for this week's Cartoon Saturday - I hope it helped you get over the shock of the first week of Der Furor's new reign.

Have a good day and a great (and warm) weekend. More thoughts tomorrow, when Musical Sunday tips the hat to the billionaire class. See you then.

Bilbo

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for January, 2025

It's not even the end of January, and it already feels like it ought to be at least August. The brutal winter weather, raging wildfires in California, and return to the Oval Office of the individual least deserving of it have made this month one for the books*.

And on the topic of bitter cold and natural disasters, it's time to name

The Left-Cheek Ass Clown for January, 2025

and though I may justifiably be accused of plucking low-hanging fruit, the obvious winner this time is

Elon Musk

Co-Vice-President and Mar-a-Lago Pool Boy Elon Musk was our Right-Cheek award winner last month, and placed second in the voting for 2024's Ass Clown of the Year. His previous award was based on his blatant purchase of the presidency through his donation of a quarter of a billion (!) dollars to Der Furor's election campaign, and his provision to that campaign of vast free advertising on "X," formerly Twitter. Today's award focuses on his execrable behavior since that time, culminating in his weirdly stoned-appearing participation in the billionaire's ball that took the place of a presidential inauguration on January 20th, and his over-the-top performance and apparent fascist salute at the post-inauguration extravaganza. Musk, although having no official position in the government, has continued to insert himself into meetings and phone calls with foreign leaders and generally enjoy his purchase of the seat of power.

From his position as primus inter pares** among the Association of American Oligarchs, Elon Musk has taken full advantage of the culture of corruption around Der Furor, in blatant, obvious, and unpunished violation of the law. He is eminently worthy of today's award.

Ladies and Gentlemen, Dear Readers, the Left-Cheek Ass Clown Award for January, 2025, is presented to Elon Musk. I'm afraid we're stuck with him, at least until he finally steals enough political and social thunder for Der Furor to cut him off. Don't hold your breath.

Have a good day and come back tomorrow for Cartoon Saturday. More thoughts then.

Bilbo

*Assuming the book to which we refer is The Necronomicon.

** I had to show off with a little Latin. Sorry.

"Engineered Incompetence"

The parade of confirmation hearings for Cabinet positions and other senior positions in Der Furor's administration continues apace, and - as usual with such hearings - has produced more sound than light.

There was, however, one particularly interesting hearing - that for Secretary of Defense nominee Pete Hegseth. It provided a prime example of what historian Ruth Ben-Ghiat describes as engineered incompetence. As she writes in her article "Pete Hegseth and the Autocratic Strategy of Engineered Incompetence," 

"Authoritarian states abound with examples of engineered incompetence, when leaders appoint individuals to Cabinet positions who lack the skill-set and high-level connections needed to succeed. This makes those individuals more dependent on the leader and creates more space for the leader’s powerful cronies to influence the institution to their own benefit ..."

No one should denigrate Mr Hegseth's military service, particularly at a time when Americans once again have elected a president who avoided military service himself*, and has described those who've lost their lives or suffered injury in combat as "suckers and losers." But we should all understand what Mr Hegseth's service actually was: yes, he has experience leading troops in combat, and rose to the rank of Major before leaving active duty for the reserves in 2014. Majors, however, generally command battalions of soldiers (300-1,000 troops), or serve as staff officers without command responsibility in larger organizations. 

As was pointed out (by Democratic senators) during his hearing, command and management at Mr Hegseth's level, while admirable, falls somewhat short of the experience needed to manage the Department of Defense, with its 3 million military and civilian personnel and $850 billion budget. Why might a president nominate a person with such limited experience for such a massive job?

Senators of both parties conducting Mr Hegseth's confirmation hearing did neither the nation nor Mr Hegseth any favors. Democrats spent too much time on issues of drunkenness and marital infidelity, while Republicans spent too much time thundering about the horrors of DEI. No one - with the partial exception of Senator Tammy Duckworth - asked difficult questions about management, strategy, and Mr Hegseth's qualifications to be the senior civilian defense advisor to the president.

There are, indeed, management issues at the Department of Defense and each of the services which need attention. There are serious issues of grand strategy, acquisition management, and resource allocation that need to be addressed. But are such weighty and massive issues best handled by a young former military officer of limited experience at lower levels of command and management ... whether he has dust on his boots or not?

No, they aren't. Unless the president is less interested in competent management and command experience than he is in engineering incompetence in the position ... filling it with someone who will not have the moral or professional authority and gravitas to tell him what he needs to know, rather than what he wants to know (or not know). 

Der Furor tried the same move with his nomination of the execrable Matt Gaetz for Attorney General; fortunately, that was such a ludicrous nomination that he had to quickly back off and nominate Florida Attorney General Pam Bondi instead**. While Ms Bondi has at least reasonable qualifications for the position, her sycophantic adoration of Der Furor and refusal to provide direct and honest answers to legitimate questions about her independence tar her nomination with the stench of engineered incompetence.

And can we forget the utterly insane nomination of Robert F. Kennedy, Jr, to be Secretary of Health and Human Services? No reasonable argument can possibly be made for his completely meritless nomination, other than to engineer incompetence in a critical organization that has already been damaged by ludicrous conspiracy theories, misinformation, disinformation, and disregard for proven science.

We're in for a long four years of engineered incompetence. One hopes at least that we can begin clawing reality back in the 2026 midterms, before the damage has become irreversible.

Have a good day. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* The flags and memes showing a heavily-muscled, heavily-armed Rambo-style Furor are so utterly laughable ...

** Which leads one to wonder whether Gaetz was just a decoy to provide an easier confirmation path for Bondi.

Der Furor, Take Two

At noon today, Der Furor will take the oath of office as President of the United States for the second time; he is only the second president in our history to be elected to two non-consecutive terms (the other was, as you surely know by now, Grover Cleveland).

I am dreading his second term more than I did the first, for many reasons. He is a miserable human being. He is bombastic, amoral, self-centered, greedy, and focused more on personal loyalty in his minions than in their competence to fulfill their duties of office. His idea of presidential gravitas is to use demeaning schoolyard nicknames for his opponents and critics. His towering ego makes him easily manipulable by friends and enemies alike. His approach to every issue and problem is purely transactional, answering the essential question "what's in it for me?" He prides himself on disdain for norms of presidential behavior and is, as presidential historian Douglas Brinkley once commented, "just a bull carrying his own china shop with him when­ever he travels the world.” Finally, because he will head an administration informed by the experiences of his first regime and supercharged by the work of conservative organizations exemplified by Project 2025 ... which he disowned during the campaign but has happily moved to implement now that he's been elected.

In short, Der Furor is ready to be a terrible president for the second time.

But having said that, there are some positions he has espoused (often out of convenience rather than conviction) that make sense and that I could support (in principle, if not in execution).

First, Der Furor is correct that we have a problem of unregulated and uncontrolled immigration. His approach to the problem is, however, ludicrously simplistic, unworkable, and ignores the fundamental problem of outdated and inadequate immigration law. Building a "big, beautiful wall" will not keep out those anxious to enter the country ... it didn't work for the East German government in Berlin* and it won't work here. Rounding up and deporting millions of illegal/"undocumented" aliens in massive sweeps is both unconstitutional (for various reasons) and detrimental to the economy (he seems to think that American citizens are lining up to take the difficult, low-wage, service and agricultural jobs now largely being filled by those he would deport). At the same time, he appears anxious to support his billionaire tech supporters by offering more "H-1B" visas for the high-tech workers they need. He has not said a word about taking legislative action to fix the issues with our immigration system that have created the situation he now rails about ... you may recall that he directed his minions in Congress to kill the bipartisan border security bill that gave conservative Republicans almost everything they asked for. I have, myself, offered a detailed plan to fix our immigration system, which has been graciously accepted and then ignored by my elected representatives for years. 

Second, our tax system is a mess and needs to look as if someone designed it for sound economic reasons. Der Furor's answer is to cut taxes for the very wealthiest Americans and for big businesses, on the long-discredited assumption that they will invest all that saved money in actions that boost the economy, resulting in lower prices and other benefits that will eventually "trickle down" to the poorest Americans**. In his confirmation hearing, Der Furor's Treasury Secretary nominee Scott Bessent said that the "single most important economic issue" was extending tax cuts for the wealthy and businesses. I think that even a lot of the underinformed people who voted for Der Furor would have a hard time swallowing that. Tax laws should address the needs of the lower and middle classes as well as the top 1%.

Third, looking to the larger economy, I think we definitely need to have some changes made, although the sort of changes that would most benefit average Americans would be opposed by big business in our current market economy. For instance, Mr Bessent (who we met in the previous paragraph) also said in his hearing that he saw no need to increase the national minimum wage ... which has remained unchanged at the national level at $7.25/hour since 2009, 16 years. Prices for food staples, basic medical care, and essential medicines are squeezing the lower and middle class, but I have yet to see any sort of plan that adequately addresses them ... there's no magic wand to wave that will fulfill feel-good but difficult to achieve campaign promises like: "Starting on Day One, we will end inflation and make America affordable again;" "Groceries, cars – everything. We're going to get the prices down;" "... we're going down and getting gasoline below $2 a gallon;" and "We will eliminate regulations that drive up housing costs, with the goal of cutting the cost of a new home in half."

Finally, some reform of our Civil Service is needed, although the horrendous "Schedule F" plan which would replace professional, merit-based government employees with ones loyal to Der Furor, regardless of merit, is hardly the answer. When I worked in the Pentagon as a military officer, I (very) occasionally  supervised or dealt with government civilians who were utterly worthless in their positions, but were all but impossible to fire, even for cause. Junking the merit-based Civil Service in favor of presidential loyalists is not the answer ... improved personnel management regulations that make it easier to remove non-performing employees is needed. 

Those will do for starters. In summary, I could get behind some changes and improvements in our government, but Der Furor and his extreme conservative, wealthy, and religious supporters are hardly the ones to provide what we need.

What do you think?

Have a good day. Hope for the best but plan for the worst.

More thoughts coming.

Bilbo

* I served in West Berlin while The Wall was still up, so I think I can speak with some authority on this.

** As Will Rogers once said, "The money was all appropriated for the top in the hopes that it would trickle down to the needy. Mr. Hoover didn't know that money trickled up. Give it to the people at the bottom and the people at the top will have it before night, anyhow. But it will at least have passed through the poor fellow's hands."

Poetry Sunday

This past Thursday, January 16th, we celebrated the birthday of Canadian poet Robert W. Service, the man known as "The Bard of the Yukon" for his epic poems and stories of the gold miners of the Canadian west. His poems, although they contain ethnic slurs and occasional language no longer considered appropriate, are full of wonderful imagery and colorful characters. My two favorite Service poems are "The Cremation of Sam McGee" (which I love to read aloud) and today's offering ...

The Ballad of Blasphemous Bill

by Robert W. Service

I took a contract to bury the body of blasphemous Bill MacKie,

Whenever, wherever or whatsoever the manner of death he die --

Whether he die in the light o' day or under the peak-faced moon;

In cabin or dance-hall, camp or dive, mucklucks or patent shoon;

On velvet tundra or virgin peak, by glacier, drift or draw;

In muskeg hollow or canyon gloom, by avalanche, fang or claw;

By battle, murder or sudden wealth, by pestilence, hooch or lead --

I swore on the Book I would follow and look till I found my tombless dead.

For Bill was a dainty kind of cuss, and his mind was mighty sot

On a dinky patch with flowers and grass in a civilized bone-yard lot.

And where he died or how he died, it didn't matter a damn

So long as he had a grave with frills and a tombstone "epigram".

So I promised him, and he paid the price in good cheechako coin

(Which the same I blowed in that very night down in the Tenderloin).

Then I painted a three-foot slab of pine:  "Here lies poor Bill MacKie",

And I hung it up on my cabin wall and I waited for Bill to die.

Years passed away, and at last one day came a squaw with a story strange,

Of a long-deserted line of traps 'way back of the Bighorn range;

Of a little hut by the great divide, and a white man stiff and still,

Lying there by his lonesome self, and I figured it must be Bill.

So I thought of the contract I'd made with him, and I took down from the shelf

The swell black box with the silver plate he'd picked out for hisself;

And I packed it full of grub and "hooch", and I slung it on the sleigh;

Then I harnessed up my team of dogs and was off at dawn of day.

You know what it's like in the Yukon wild when it's sixty-nine below;

When the ice-worms wriggle their purple heads through the crust of the pale blue snow;

When the pine-trees crack like little guns in the silence of the wood,

And the icicles hang down like tusks under the parka hood;

When the stove-pipe smoke breaks sudden off, and the sky is weirdly lit,

And the careless feel of a bit of steel burns like a red-hot spit;

When the mercury is a frozen ball, and the frost-fiend stalks to kill --

Well, it was just like that that day when I set out to look for Bill.

Oh, the awful hush that seemed to crush me down on every hand,

As I blundered blind with a trail to find through that blank and bitter land;

Half dazed, half crazed in the winter wild, with its grim heart-breaking woes,

And the ruthless strife for a grip on life that only the sourdough knows!

North by the compass, North I pressed; river and peak and plain

Passed like a dream I slept to lose and I waked to dream again.

River and plain and mighty peak -- and who could stand unawed?

As their summits blazed, he could stand undazed at the foot of the throne of God.

North, aye, North, through a land accurst, shunned by the scouring brutes,

And all I heard was my own harsh word and the whine of the malamutes,

Till at last I came to a cabin squat, built in the side of a hill,

And I burst in the door, and there on the floor, frozen to death, lay Bill.

Ice, white ice, like a winding-sheet, sheathing each smoke-grimed wall;

Ice on the stove-pipe, ice on the bed, ice gleaming over all;

Sparkling ice on the dead man's chest, glittering ice in his hair,

Ice on his fingers, ice in his heart, ice in his glassy stare;

Hard as a log and trussed like a frog, with his arms and legs outspread.

I gazed at the coffin I'd brought for him, and I gazed at the gruesome dead,

And at last I spoke:  "Bill liked his joke; but still, goldarn his eyes,

A man had ought to consider his mates in the way he goes and dies."

Have you ever stood in an Arctic hut in the shadow of the Pole,

With a little coffin six by three and a grief you can't control?

Have you ever sat by a frozen corpse that looks at you with a grin,

And that seems to say:  "You may try all day, but you'll never jam me in"?

I'm not a man of the quitting kind, but I never felt so blue

As I sat there gazing at that stiff and studying what I'd do.

Then I rose and I kicked off the husky dogs that were nosing round about,

And I lit a roaring fire in the stove, and I started to thaw Bill out.

Well, I thawed and thawed for thirteen days, but it didn't seem no good;

His arms and legs stuck out like pegs, as if they was made of wood.

Till at last I said:  "It ain't no use -- he's froze too hard to thaw;

He's obstinate, and he won't lie straight, so I guess I got to -- saw."

So I sawed off poor Bill's arms and legs, and I laid him snug and straight

In the little coffin he picked hisself, with the dinky silver plate;

And I came nigh near to shedding a tear as I nailed him safely down;

Then I stowed him away in my Yukon sleigh, and I started back to town.

So I buried him as the contract was in a narrow grave and deep,

And there he's waiting the Great Clean-up, when the Judgment sluice-heads sweep;

And I smoke my pipe and I meditate in the light of the Midnight Sun,

And sometimes I wonder if they was, the awful things I done.

And as I sit and the parson talks, expounding of the Law,

I often think of poor old Bill -- and how hard he was to saw.

I think perhaps I'd better double-check the instructions I'm leaving behind for when I shuffle off my mortal coil.

Have a good day and enjoy the rest of your weekend. More thoughts coming.

Bilbo